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The administration and other Western governments are scrambling to keep up with the mounting danger ISIS-K poses. Before this year, U.S. and other Western officials believed ISIS-K had the intent but not the ability to orchestrate attacks abroad. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Europe since 2004. ISIS-K also launched a major attack in Iran this year that killed dozens, and other plots were disrupted in Europe. The Taliban sees ISIS-K as a threat to its rule and has launched a series of attacks on the group.

Organizations: Biden, U.S ., Moscow's, Moscow's Crocus City Hall, ISIS, Embassy, Taliban, White House National Security Council Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, U.S, Moscow's Crocus, Europe, Iran, Africa, Khorasan, Washington, United States, Doha

☆ Boeing wins orders worth $52 billion from Emirates at the Dubai Air Show
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Emirates announced an order worth $52 million that includes 90 Boeing 777s at the Dubai Air Show . The orders marked a significant win for Boeing on the first day of the air show. AdvertisementAdvertisementDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Long-haul carrier Emirates opened the Dubai Air Show Monday with a $52 billion purchase of Boeing aircraft, showing how aviation has bounced back after the groundings of the coronavirus pandemic, even as Israel's war with Hamas clouds regional security. Emirates, a main economic engine for Dubai amid its booming real estate market, announced record half-year profits of $2.7 billion Thursday. The deal includes 28 Boeing 737-8s and 17 Boeing 737-10s models, as well as the opportunity for another 45 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Persons: —, Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Sheikh Saeed, Stan Deal, — Rafael, Israel Aerospace Industries —, Rafael, Khalifa Hifter Organizations: Emirates, Boeing, Dubai Air, Service, United Arab Emirates, Investment Corporation of Dubai, Al, Dubai World, Dubai International Airport, U.S . Air Force, Defense Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, IAI, Meets Technology, Russian Helicopters, U.S, Roscosmos, Russian Knights, Associated Press, Libyan National Army, AP, United, Haqqani, Airbus, International Air Transport Association ., . Emirates, Riyadh Air, Turkish Airlines, Anadolu, Lufthansa, MAX, Royal Jordanian, Royal Air Maroc Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Dubai, Sheikh, Emirates, Israel, Ukraine, Iran, UAE, Abu Dhabi, Russian, Afghan, Al, Riyadh, Saudi, Latvia, France

☆ Pakistan PM says expulsion of Afghans a response to Taliban non-cooperation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Last month, Pakistan set a Nov. 1 start date for the expulsion of all undocumented immigrants, including hundreds of thousands of Afghans. Kakar said 15 suicide bombings in recent months had been carried out by Afghans, and dozens of Afghans had been killed in clashes with Pakistani security forces. A spokesman for the Taliban administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There has been a resurgence of attacks by Islamist militants in Pakistan since talks between Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Pakistani state broke down in 2022. Kakar said that Pakistan had communicated to the Taliban administration that it had to "choose between Pakistan and the TTP".

Persons: Anwar ul Haq Kakar, Kakar, Gibran Peshimam, Alex Richardson Organizations: United Nations, Caretaker, Taliban, Thomson Locations: Afghan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Balochistan Province, Chaman, ISLAMABAD, Western, Islamabad, U.S, Tehreek, Taliban Pakistan, Pakistani

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani security forces on Wednesday rounded up, detained and deported dozens of Afghans who were living in the country illegally, after a government-set deadline for them to leave expired, authorities said. According to the U.N. agencies, there are more than 2 million undocumented Afghans in Pakistan, at least 600,000 of whom fled after the Taliban takeover in 2021. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration have become strained over the past two years because of stepped-up attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, a separate militant group that is allied with the Afghan Taliban. Since the government deadline was announced on October 3, more than 200,000 Afghans have returned home from Pakistan. Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez in Islamabad and Abdul Sattar in Quetta, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

Persons: Sarfraz Bugti, ”, Zabihullah Mujahid, ” Mujahid, “, Ahmad Banwari, Banwari, ___ Khan, Rahim Faiez, Abdul Sattar Organizations: ” Interim, Taliban, Afghanistan’s, Pakistani Taliban, Associated Press Locations: ISLAMABAD, Islamabad, Pakistan, Afghanistan, “, ”, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, The New York, Kabul, Nangarhar, Pakistani, Taliban Pakistan, United States, Peshawar, Quetta

[1/5] Chinese President Xi Jinping greets Russian President Vladimir Putin as they attend the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), to mark the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, October 18, 2023. REUTERS/Edgar Su Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against decoupling from China as he opened the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) forum in Beijing on Wednesday, criticizing Western efforts to reduce dependence on the Chinese economy. The trade disruptions of the pandemic years have also added urgency to the desire to limit their dependence on China. WESTERN SCEPTICISMWestern scepticism of Xi's grand plans stems from suspicions over the way it would extend China's global influence, analysts say. Xi is making the Belt and Road smaller and greener, moving away from big-ticket projects like dams to high-tech ones such as digital finance and e-commerce platforms.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Edgar Su, Xi, Putin, BRI, Viktor Orban, Haji Nooruddin Azizi, Azizi, Xi's, Antoni Slodkowski, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Initiative, of, People, REUTERS, Rights, EU, Washington, Thomson Locations: Beijing, Rights BEIJING, China, Asia, Africa, Europe, Tiananmen, Taiwan, Western Europe, Afghanistan, Northern

[1/5] Chinese President Xi Jinping greets Russian President Vladimir Putin as they attend the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), to mark the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, October 18, 2023. Putin and other foreign leaders sat with key Chinese officials from the 25-member Politburo on the front row, as Xi delivered his opening speech. The forum centres on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a grand plan launched by Xi in 2013, that envisioned building global infrastructure and energy networks connecting Asia with Africa and Europe through overland and maritime routes. Western scepticism of Xi's grand plans stems from suspicions over the way it would extend China's global influence, analysts say. Xi is pushing to make the Belt and Road smaller and greener, moving away from big-ticket projects like dams to high-tech ones such as digital finance and e-commerce platforms.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Edgar Su, Xi, Putin, BRI, Viktor Orban, Haji Nooruddin Azizi, Antoni Slodkowski, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Initiative, of, People, REUTERS, Rights, Forum, EU, Washington, Thomson Locations: Beijing, Rights BEIJING, Tiananmen, Asia, Africa, Europe, China, Western Europe, United States, Ukraine

[1/4] Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to attend the Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 16, 2023. Ten years on, the most senior EU leader expected to attend the third Belt and Road (BRI) Summit this week is Hungary's populist Viktor Orban, who will join guests including Russia's Vladimir Putin and a minister of the Afghan Taliban. Such Western doubts have coincided with Xi's assertive leadership and a deterioration in ties over trade, human rights, COVID-19 and Taiwan. Other analysts say economic slowdown both in China and globally, and rising commodity prices, have also cast a pall over the initiative. "It's not perfect, but it’s a process, and people are gradually realising it's so important: we need to build infrastructure.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Ken Ishii, Putin, Orban, Britain's, Viktor Orban, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Xi, Jinping, Matthew Erie, they've, Raffaello Pantucci, Ruby Osman, Tony Blair, Osman, Wang Huiyao, Wang, Joyce Zhou, Vineet Sachdev, Antoni Slodkowski, Don Durfee, Robert Birsel Organizations: Beijing Capital International Airport, Forum, REUTERS Acquire, Initiative, University of Oxford, Reuters, Washington, American Enterprise Institute, S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Tony, Tony Blair Institute for Global, Global Development Initiative, Monetary Fund, Sri, Center for, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Italy, Xi's, BEIJING, Western Europe, EU, Taiwan, United States, Ukraine, Erie, CHINA, America, Africa, Russia, Kazakhstan, Congo, Singapore, China's, Argentina, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Center for China

[1/4] Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to attend the Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 16, 2023. Ten years on, the most senior EU leader expected to attend the third Belt and Road (BRI) Summit this week is Hungary's populist Viktor Orban, who will join guests including Russia's Vladimir Putin and a minister of the Afghan Taliban. Other analysts say economic slowdown both in China and globally, and rising commodity prices, have also cast a pall over the initiative. Wang Huiyao, president of the Center for China and Globalization think tank, said the BRI had "greatly pushed forward global awareness about the infrastructure deficit". "It's not perfect, but it’s a process, and people are gradually realising it's so important: we need to build infrastructure.

☆ Afghan Taliban criticises closure of main border crossing with Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Trucks loaded with supplies to leave for Afghanistan are seen stranded at the Michni checkpost, after the main Pakistan-Afghan border crossing closed after clashes, in Torkham, Pakistan September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsKABUL, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The Afghan Taliban criticised the closure of its main border crossing with Pakistan this week after clashes between security forces, saying the halt in trade would see heavy losses for businesses. The busy Torkham border crossing closed on Wednesday after Pakistani and Afghan Taliban forces started firing at each other, according to local officials. The statement said the incident had started after Pakistani security forces fired at Afghan Taliban forces fixing an old security outpost near the border. Disputes linked to the 2,600 km (1,615 mile) border have been a bone of contention between the neighbours for decades.

Persons: Fayaz Aziz, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Charlotte Greenfield, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Afghan Taliban, Taliban administration's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Afghan, Torkham, Rights KABUL, Islamic Emirate

☆ Weekend episode: Afghans in limbo two years on, and we remember Danish Siddiqui
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Yet, many of the Afghans who worked for U.S. organizations during the 20-year war are still left waiting for visas. On this special weekend episode we visit with one family waiting for visas in Pakistan, and examine the photographic legacy of our colleague Danish Siddiqui, who was killed while covering a clash between Afghan Special Forces and the Taliban in Kandahar. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Further ReadingAfghan Taliban celebrate return to power two years on amid erosion of women's rightsAfghans dreaming of U.S. refuge feel stuck in processing limboDanish Siddiqui: A tributeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: It's, Danish Siddiqui, Siddiqui Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, Afghan Special Forces, Thomson, Reading Locations: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kandahar

☆ In pictures: Afghan Taliban celebrate second year of return to power
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PicturesIn pictures: Afghan Taliban celebrate second year of return to powerAfghanistan's Taliban marked the second anniversary of their return to power on Tuesday, celebrating their takeover of Kabul and the establishment of what they said was security throughout the country under an Islamic system.

Organizations: Taliban Locations: Kabul

☆ Exclusive: Qatar prime minister, Taliban chief hold secret Afghan talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The Taliban say they respect women’s rights in line with their interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan customs. The Taliban in March 2022 barred girls from high schools and extended the ban to universities in December. ADDRESSING HUMANITARIAN CRISISSheikh Mohammed and Haibatullah also discussed efforts to remedy Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis, the source said. The U.S. and its allies say the Taliban harbor members of al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban. Sheikh Mohammed, who also serves as Qatar's foreign minister, met publicly in Kandahar with Mullah Hassan Akhund, the Taliban prime minister, on the same day he met the supreme leader.

Persons: Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Akhunzada, Joe Biden's, Sheikh Mohammed, Haibatullah, al, Mullah Hassan Akhund, Jonathan Landay, Don Durfee, Deepa Babington Organizations: Qatari, Qatar, United, The State Department, Human Rights, United Nations, Islamic, Haibatullah, Thomson Locations: Afghan, Kandahar, Thani, Kabul, United States, Washington, Qatar, U.S, Geneva, Islamic State, Afghanistan, The U.S, al Qaeda, Doha

☆ Taliban not invited to UN Doha meeting on Afghanistan, says UN
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UNITED NATIONS, April 28 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has not invited the Taliban administration to a meeting that he is convening with special envoys on Afghanistan from various countries in Doha next week, a U.N. spokesperson said on Friday. Last week the United Nations had to stress that the meeting will not focus on the possible international recognition of the Taliban administration after comments by the deputy U.N. chief sparked concern and confusion. Guterres' deputy, Amina Mohammed, had suggested last week that the meeting in Doha "could find those baby steps to put us back on the pathway to recognition." In December, the 193-member U.N. General Assembly approved postponing, for the second time, a decision on whether to recognize the Afghan Taliban administration by allowing them to send a United Nations ambassador to New York. The U.N. Security Council unanimously condemned on Thursday a Taliban administration ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations in Afghanistan and called on Taliban leaders to "swiftly reverse" a crackdown on the rights of women and girls.

☆ Taliban recognition not a focus of Afghanistan meeting, says UN
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A general view ahead of an aid conference for Afghanistan at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, September 13, 2021. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseUNITED NATIONS, April 20 (Reuters) - A U.N.-convened meeting on Afghanistan next month will not focus on the possible international recognition of the Taliban administration, a U.N. spokesperson stressed on Thursday after comments by the deputy U.N. chief sparked concern and confusion. His deputy, Amina Mohammed, suggested on Monday the gathering "could find those baby steps to put us back on the pathway to recognition." Earlier this month the Taliban began enforcing a ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations after stopping most women working for humanitarian aid groups in December. The Taliban says it respects women's rights in accordance with its strict interpretation of Islamic law.

The area, part of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, is a hotbed for fighters of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella organisation of Sunni Islamist groups. A TTP spokesman, Muhammad Khurasani, told Reuters its main target was Pakistan's military, but the police were standing in the way. "Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa pays a greater price for that" because of its exposure to the Islamist militants, he said. The TTP ended the ceasefire in November 2022, and regrouped militants restarted attacks in Pakistan soon after. Reporting by Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam and Jibran Ahmad in Bara, Pakistan; additional reporting by Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan; editing by David Crawshaw.

☆ Factbox: Who are the Pakistan Taliban?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility. * Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was formed in 2007 as an umbrella organisation of various hardline Sunni Islamist groups operating individually in Pakistan. * There was an attempt by Pakistan to hold peace talks with the TTP, resulting in a months-long ceasefire and negotiations brokered by the Afghan Taliban. * Pakistan says the TTP leadership has safe havens in Afghanistan, but the Afghan Taliban administration denies this. * TTP attacks are mostly directed at Pakistan, unlike the other big militant threat in the region, Islamic State.

☆ Pakistan's Musharraf, military ruler who allied with the U.S. and promoted moderate Islam
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/8] Pakistan's former President, Pervez Musharraf, addresses his supporters after his arrival from Dubai at Jinnah International airport in Karachi March 24, 2013. Musharraf, 79, died in hospital after a long illness after spending years in self-imposed exile, Pakistan media reported on Sunday. His father served in the foreign ministry, while his mother was a teacher and the family subscribed to a moderate, tolerant brand of Islam. Musharraf also successfully lobbied then-President George W. Bush to pour money into the Pakistani military. In 2006, Musharraf ordered military action that killed a tribal head from the province Balochistan, laying the foundations of an armed insurgency that rages to this day.

☆ Pakistan ex-President Pervez Musharraf dies in Dubai after years in exile
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] Pakistan's General Pervez Musharraf salutes during the playing of Pakistan's national anthem at the Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi November 27, 2007. REUTERS/Mian KhursheedISLAMABAD, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Pakistani former President Pervez Musharraf died on Sunday following a prolonged illness at a hospital in Dubai, after years in self-imposed exile. Musharraf joined what Washington called its "war on terror" after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. This made Musharraf a target for militants in Pakistan as well as causing him to lose support among conservative elements in Pakistan. Allowed abroad for medical treatment even as he faced a treason case in Pakistan, Musharraf last flew to Dubai in 2016.

☆ Suicide bomber kills 28, wounds 150 at mosque in NW Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Security personnel cordon off the site of a mosque blast inside the police headquarters in Peshawar on January 30, 2023. Police between 300 to 350 worshipers were inside the mosque when the bomber detonated his explosives. A survivor, 38-year-old police officer Meena Gul, said he was inside the mosque when the bomb went off. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan also condemned the bombing, calling it a "terrorist suicide attack" in a Twitter posting. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks since November when the Pakistani Taliban ended their cease-fire with government forces.

☆ Suicide bombing in Pakistan's capital kills 2 suspects and a policeman
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

At least three police officers and seven passersby were wounded in the bombing in Islamabad. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the explosion. Friday’s bombing happened about 9 miles from the garrison city of Rawalpindi, home of the military and government spy agencies. Pakistani Taliban have stepped up attacks on security forces since November, when they unilaterally ended a monthslong cease-fire with the country’s government. The Pakistani Taliban are separate but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan last year as U.S. and NATO troops withdrew after 20 years of war.

☆ Pakistan suicide car bombing kills one police official, injures others
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Asif Shahzad | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Police officers and rescue workers gather at the site of a suicide car bombing in Islamabad, Pakistan December 23, 2022. "Our initial information says that there was a man and a woman in the car," Islamabad operations police chief, Sohail Zafar, told reporters. "Had the car reached its target, it would have caused heavy losses," Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told Geo News TV. Pakistani Taliban claimed the car bombing, saying it was revenge for the killing of one of their leaders. The bombing came two days after a Pakistani military operation killed 25 TTP militants after a standoff at a counter-terrorism facility.

☆ Blinken calls on Afghan Taliban to reverse ban on women at universities
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 22 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday said that the Taliban are trying to sentence Afghanistan's women "to a dark future without opportunity" by banning them from attending universities. Speaking in an end of the year news conference, Blinken said the Taliban-run administration will fail in its efforts to improve relations with the rest of the world unless the militants reverse the ban. "There are going to be costs if this is not reversed," he said of the ban announced on Tuesday. Reporting by Jonathan Landay and Humeyra PamukOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

One hostage, a security official, died during the raid , he said. The army spokesman's comments provided the first detailed official account of the standoff, in which two security personnel were killed when the militants first took over the compound, and two commandoes killed in the ensuing raid. Later other militants at the centre broke into a storeroom where confiscated weapons had been stored. STANDOFFAfter talks failed to resolve a two-day standoff, army commandos stormed the centre on Tuesday. Earlier, residents said they heard explosions coming from the vicinity of the centre on Tuesday as helicopters hovered overhead.

Pakistani Taliban militants detained at the centre had snatched interrogators' weapons and taken them captive on Sunday. Asif did not say how many militants were killed or how many hostages they had held. Residents said they heard explosions coming from the vicinity of the centre on Tuesday as helicopters hovered overhead. The army operations forced the militants and their leaders to flee to neighbouring Afghan districts. There, Islamabad says, they set up training centres to plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Afghan authorities deny.

According to a provincial government spokesman, the militants were demanding safe passage to Afghanistan. "We are in negotiations with the central leaders of the Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan," Mohammad Ali Saif, a spokesman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, said. He said the authorities were yet to receive a response from the Pakistani Taliban, adding that relatives of the militants and area tribal elders had also been involved in initiating talks with the Islamists inside the facility. The militants in control of the interrogation facility had demanded a safe passage to Afghanistan, a TTP statement sent to a Reuters reporter said. It added the TTP had also conveyed the demand to Pakistani authorities, but hadn't heard back any "positive" response.

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